The invention relates to the deployment of wireless environmental control or sensing devices and the evaluation of signals transmitted between the devices and a controller.
Successful deployment of wireless devices within a space ensures that the wireless connection between them is robust and reliable. However, construction materials such as wood, plaster, glass, brick, medium-density fibreboard (“MDF”), and metal within, for example, the walls, ceilings, and furniture of a building may disrupt communication between wireless devices. Other wireless communication devices (e.g., sources of radio-frequency signals) may also disrupt communication between the wireless devices. Testing the signal quality and range of wireless signals is not a simple process, and typically requires additional personnel or the use of specialized tools, which electricians and other installation personnel do not typically carry. Specialized tools include, for example, a laptop computer or a personal computer having specialized signal analysis software. Such tools and software require, among other things, specialized training to ensure that a signal is analyzed and interpreted correctly.